UTSA men’s basketball snaps its 17-game losing streak

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By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

The UTSA Roadrunners on Sunday erased a 13-point deficit in the last eight minutes and toppled the Charlotte 49ers, 88-79, snapping a program record 17-game losing streak.

Playing on the road against one of the leaders in the American Conference, the Roadrunners outscored the 49ers 29-9 down the stretch to win their first game since late November.

UTSA hadn’t won since Nov. 25 when it defeated Georgia Southern in Jacksonville, Fla.

Entering the game at Charlotte, the Roadrunners had the third longest active losing streak in the nation behind only Mississippi Valley State (23) and Air Force (18).

Now, they can breathe easier after a remarkable rally that yielded only their fifth win of the season against 20 losses.

“Just incredible fight by these young men,” UTSA’s Austin Claunch told Andy Everett on the team’s radio broadcast.

During the rally, Claunch was shown on television exhorting his players, slapping his hands on the floor after made baskets as they ran back on defense.

UTSA played short-handed with only eight active players. Only seven played in the game.

“I’m at a loss for words,” Claunch said. “It’s an incredible seven guys, you know. A couple of walk-ons and guys just gritty. A gritty tough win against a really good team, and they made it hard on us.

“I’m just really proud. Not a lot to say. It’s been a long road and we still got a long road. It’s one win. But, um, we’re going to go clip a couple more of these other ones to finish and make sure we’re headed the right way.”

Jamir Simpson led the way for the Roadrunners. The senior guard from Ohio scored 15 of his 20 points in the second half to lead six UTSA players in double figures.

Simpson also pulled down a team-high eight rebounds and passed for seven assists.

At the end of a 20-0 run, Simpson scored back-to-back buckets, one on a drive against a 7-foot-2 center and another on a put back that boosted UTSA into a 77-70 lead with 2:45 remaining.

In the second half, guarded as the focal point of the Roadrunners’ offense by the 49ers, he connected on four of seven from the field and seven of eight from the free throw line.

Brent Moss and Baboucarr Njie scored 16 points apiece, while Daniel Akitoby contributed 12 and Matheo Coffi 10.

Guard Ben Bradford led the 49ers with 20 points and 12 rebounds. Major Freeman scored 13 and Damoni Harrison 11. Guard Dezayne Mingo, one of Charlotte’s leading scorers, was held to seven points.

Records

UTSA 5-20, 1-12
Charlotte 13-12, 7-5

Coming up

FAU at UTSA, Wednesday, 7 p.m.

Notable

Walkon guard LJ Brown, the son of program great Devin Brown, started his first game of the season and made a major contribution during the rally.

Brown, from San Antonio’s Johnson High School, nailed a long three-pointer that gave UTSA the lead, 73-70, with 3:56 remaining. It was the first lead in the game for the Roadrunners since the 6:04 mark of the first half.

Coming into the day, UTSA had six players listed as out for the game or out for the season. One of them was Austin Nunez, the starting point, who was listed as out for the game. He sat out his second game in a row.

Guard Dorian Hayes, nursing a shoulder injury, was listed as questionable on the player availability report. He hasn’t played since Jan. 28 against UAB. He has sat out four straight.

Coming into Sunday, the 49ers had lost two straight games, both on the road, falling at Wichita State and Memphis. Charlotte is one of the surprises in American men’s basketball this season, rebounding from a 11-22, 3-15 record a year ago.

First half

Bradford propelled the 49ers to a 44-38 halftime lead with a 12-point, 10-rebound double double.

UTSA, with only eight players active, did well in the early going by forging a five-point lead after 11 minutes.

Kaidon Rayfield sank a three with 10:54 remaining to push UTSA into a 21-16 advantage.

From there, Charlotte retaliated immediately with a put back by forward Raul Villar and a three by Damoni Harrison.

Daniel Akitoby responded with two straight baskets, forging a 25-24 lead for UTSA with 8:25 remaining. Two minutes later, Baboucarr Njie sank a free throw as the Roadrunners continued to lead by one.

But in the last six minutes, the 49ers outscored the Roadrunners 15-8 to take control going into intermission. Bradford took over in the run with seven points, including a long three.

South Florida women win 69-63 to sweep season series from UTSA

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Ereauna Hardaway. South Florida beat UTSA 69-63 in American Conference women's basketball on Saturday, Feb. 14, 2026. - Photo by Joe Alexander

Guard Ereauna Hardaway shrugged off her 17-point, 8-assist performance, noting, “We didn’t win. Winning is all that matters to me.’ – Photo by Joe Alexander

By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

Carla Brito and the South Florida Bulls controlled the action in the middle quarters Saturday night and held on at the end for a 69-63 road victory over the UTSA Roadrunners in American Conference women’s basketball.

Katie Davidson and Edyn Battle scored 17 points apiece and Brito produced her fourth straight double double (with 13 points and 12 rebounds) as the Bulls moved into sole possession of third place in the American.

Taking a big step toward securing a top-four finish and a double-bye into the postseason tournament, South Florida (16-10 overall and 9-4 in the American) also established an edge over sixth-place UTSA (12-12, 7-6).

South Florida's Katie Davidson. South Florida beat UTSA 69-63 in American Conference women's basketball on Saturday, Feb. 14, 2026. - Photo by Joe Alexander

South Florida guard Katie Davidson scored 10 of her 17 points in the second quarter, when the Bulls started to pull away from the Roadrunners. – Photo by Joe Alexander

The edge for the Bulls came in knowing that they are now 2-0 against the defending conference champions this season.

Last month, on Jan. 13 in Tampa, Fla., the Bulls built a 25-point halftime lead en route to a 70-53 victory over the Roadrunners.

In the first game, they knocked down 10 threes. On Saturday, they made only three, but they also shot 50.9 percent from the floor to compensate.

UTSA couldn’t keep up with that accuracy, as the Roadrunners hit only 31.9 percent on 23 of 74 shooting. The Bulls shut down Roadrunners forward Cheyenne Rowe, holding her to 10 points on five of 17.

“It was a hard-fought game,” UTSA coach Karen Aston said. “The difference was their transition game and their ability to get easier shots than what we were able to get.

“I thought we had to work extremely hard for every shot opportunity and bucket we got. On the other end of that, I thought they got a ton of easy buckets in transition.”

Ereauna Hardaway led UTSA with 17 points and eight assists. In addition, UTSA forward Idara Udo contributed 15 points and 12 rebounds. In the second quarter, Udo snared a rebound that gave her 500 for her UTSA career.

Down by two after the opening period, the Bulls rode the hot shooting of Davidson into a 33-26 halftime lead.

After the Roadrunners made a push after halftime, the Bulls outscored them 11-5 at the end of the third quarter, with Brito hitting two baskets in the surge.

Idara Udo and Katie Davidson. South Florida beat UTSA 69-63 in American Conference women's basketball on Saturday, Feb. 14, 2026. - Photo by Joe Alexander

UTSA forward Idara Udo contributed 15 points and 12 rebounds. – Photo by Joe Alexander

Down by 12 going into the fourth, the cold-shooting Roadrunners couldn’t get any closer than double digits until the last two minutes of the game.

Hardaway capped a frantic late push with a three-pointer with 34.7 seconds left. When the shot swished, it sliced the South Florida lead to four points.

But after a timeout, the Bulls inbounded and worked 17 seconds off the clock before Battle was fouled. She sank the ensuing two free throws, plus two more with 6.7 seconds remaining, to secure the victory.

In the UTSA postgame news conference, Hardaway was asked about her own performance. She shrugged and noted, “We didn’t win. Winning’s all that matters to me.”

Udo was asked about UTSA’s run on South Florida that made it so close at the end. Specifically, whether the late push could give them confidence to beat the Bulls in the postseason tournament in a possible third matchup.

“It does,” she said. “But I don’t even think it’s about the runs. Like coach said, their transition games were killers. If we stop their transition game and contain (them) at the beginning of the game, it would have been a different outcome.

“I don’t think we’d have even needed to go on a run at the end of the game. I have a lot of confidence in our defense and our execution on the offensive side. So I think when we put both of those together, that’ll be good for us.”

Aston said if there is a third matchup with the Bulls, then the Roadrunners will have made a deep run in the tournament, and she said she’d be happy with that.

Comments that followed from the coach were delivered, with some passion, in regard to what needs to happen with her team moving forward.

Karen Aston. South Florida beat UTSA 69-63 in American Conference women's basketball on Saturday, Feb. 14, 2026. - Photo by Joe Alexander

Coach Karen Aston said she’d be happy for a third meeting against the Bulls this season because that would likely mean her Roadrunners would be deep in the American Conference tournament bracket. – Photo by Joe Alexander

“There were times tonight when I didn’t think we were as competitive as we needed to be,” Aston said. “Because, when you play a team like South Florida, that transitions the way they do, you can’t even pause. You can’t take a break and feel sorry for yourself because something didn’t go right.

“It’s play to play. High-level games are supposed to be like that. But when you look at the stat sheet (tonight), we got more shot attempts. We beat ’em on the three-point line. We beat ’em on the free-throw line. We beat ’em in rebounding. And they turned the ball over more than we did.”

At that point, she drew a contrast in what happened Saturday night on UTSA’s home court, as compared to the earlier meeting in Florida.

“We got our ass kicked in Tampa,” she said. “And, as to Ereauna’s credit for noticing, the difference in the game (tonight) was that the ball went in the basket more for them, and I understand why. That was (their) transition, and we’ll have to figure out how to slow that down if we have to play ’em again.

“But, we got whipped in every category in Tampa. So, I’m extremely pleased with the progress we’ve made. We just got to get back to work. We got games to win. We got to get in the tournament.”

UTSA will have five more games remaining to clinch a spot in the 10-team tournament, which is scheduled March 10-14 in Birmingham, Ala.

Records

South Florida 16-10, 9-4
UTSA 12-12, 7-6

Coming up

UTSA at Wichita State, Feb. 21, 1 p.m.

Notable

South Florida pushed the pace at every opportunity, outscoring UTSA 25-4 in fast break points.

UTSA junior Idara Udo became the 18th player in program history to reach 500 and the first since Elyssa Coleman in 2024.

Additionally, Udo also became the fourth UTSA player to record double-digit offensive rebounds in a game — she had 10 against the Bulls — and the first since Tesha Smith set the program record with 12 in 2017.

First half

The Bulls turned up the intensity and rallied from down two after the first quarter to a 12-point lead late in the second.

UTSA, in turn, rallied in the last two minutes on a 7-0 run to cut into the deficit. But the damage had been done, and the Bulls went into the dressing room at intermission with a 33-26 lead.

For South Florida, Davidson led the charge in the second period when she scored 10 of her 12 first-half points.

South Florida's Carla Brito. South Florida beat UTSA 69-63 in American Conference women's basketball on Saturday, Feb. 14, 2026. - Photo by Joe Alexander

South Florida’s Carla Brito produced 13 points and 12 rebounds for her fourth consecutive double double. – Photo by Joe Alexander

UTSA women host South Florida in American Conference showdown

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By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

The South Florida Bulls and the UTSA Roadrunners will meet today at the Convocation Center in an American Conference women’s basketball showdown.

Last month, the Roadrunners traveled into Tampa, Fla., undefeated in conference play and took a pounding from the Bulls, 70-53.

South Florida buried UTSA with 10 three-pointers, including five by Jelena Bulajic and three more by Edyn Battle.

It was the start of a stretch in which the Roadrunners dropped five of seven games and basically played their way out of contention for a second straight regular-season title.

In the rematch, UTSA will have a chance to even the score from a pride standpoint. The second meeting of the schools also will have postseason implications.

Going into games today, South Florida and Tulsa (both 8-4) are tied for third in the American standings. North Texas and UTSA (both 7-5) are tied for fifth.

A victory would allow the Roadrunners to stay in the chase for third or fourth place at the end of the regular season.

Finishing third or fourth is meaningful in that those two teams would need to win only three games in three days next month in Birmingham to claim the American’s postseason title.

Fifth or sixth-place teams would need to win four games in four days.

Records

South Florida 15-10, 8-4
UTSA 12-11, 7-5

Coming up

South Florida at UTSA, Saturday, 6:30 p.m.
UTSA at Wichita State, Feb. 21, 1 p.m.

Notable

In a 52-43 home victory over the Temple Owls Tuesday night, the Roadrunners hit only one of 15 shots from three-point range.

UTSA is 53 of 188 on threes in 12 conference games for 28.2 percent.

UTSA is outscoring opponents by an average of 60.2 to 58.5 points per game in conference. The team’s point production in conference ranks last in the league, while the team ranks first in points allowed.

UTSA sophomore forward Mia Hammonds emerged from a shooting slump in the Temple game Tuesday night, scoring 10 points on five of seven shooting.

In her three previous games, she scored only a combined nine points and shot two for 14 from the field.

An energy player who can contribute in multiple facets of the game when she’s playing well, Hammonds enters the South Florida game averaging 6.9 points and 5.3 rebounds.

UTSA baseball shrugs off Orloski’s injury and wins season opener in a rout

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Josh Arquette hit UTSA's first home run of the season in the bottom of the second inning. UTSA beat South Dakota State 17-4 in the Roadrunners' 2026 baseball season opener on Friday, Feb. 13, at Roadrunner Field. - Photo by Joe Alexander

Newcomer Josh Arquette hit UTSA’s first home run of the season in the bottom of the second inning to ignite an eight-hit, seven-run rally. – Photo by Joe Alexander

By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

Twenty-three pitches into UTSA’s new baseball season, the crowd at Roadrunner Field fell silent.

Robert Orloski, the team’s ace pitcher, clutched at his upper right arm and grimaced in pain after delivering a fastball that sailed high and out of the strike zone.

Once the training staff ran out to check on him, it didn’t take long before he walked off the field to cheers of support from an anxious fan base.

Mike DeBattista. UTSA beat South Dakota State 17-4 in the Roadrunners' 2026 baseball season opener on Friday, Feb. 13, at Roadrunner Field. - Photo by Joe Alexander

Mike DeBattista relieved injured Rob Orloski 23 pitches into the first inning and pitched three innings scoreless to earn the victory. – Photo by Joe Alexander

Trailing by one run at the time, the Roadrunners steadied themselves. Mike DeBattista retired Travis Finney to retire the side.

After that, the UTSA offense took over in a big way, pounding four home runs among 19 hits in a 17-4 victory over the South Dakota State Jackrabbits.

An announced crowd of 953 turned out to celebrate the Roadrunners’ historic run to the NCAA Super Regionals last year, but the injury to Orloski likely lingered in the back of everyone’s mind as they left the ball park.

Sort of a bittersweet feeling, for sure.

UTSA coach Pat Hallmark said he didn’t know too much about the injury. “I kind of know what ya’ll know, I guess,” he said. “They’re checking him out. We’ll see where we go from here.”

Roadrunners third baseman Josh Arquette, who hit a solo home run to ignite a seven-run second inning, acknowledged that he’s worried about the team’s opening-day starter and one-time draft pick of the Boston Red Sox.

“We’ll be praying for him,” Arquette said. “I hope everyone else prays for him and hopefully it’s all well and it’s nothing too serious, and he’s able to get back and get back to competing for us.”

Andrew Stucky had one of UTSA's four home runs on Friday. UTSA beat South Dakota State 17-4 in the Roadrunners' 2026 baseball season opener on Friday, Feb. 13, at Roadrunner Field. - Photo by Joe Alexander

UTSA’s Andrew Stucky hammered a 390-foot plus, three-run homer in the bottom of the third inning to make it 12-1. – Photo by Joe Alexander

Game 2 of the three-game series is scheduled for 6 p.m. on Saturday. The finale is set for 1 p.m. on Sunday.

The Roadrunners put two runs on the board in the bottom of the first to take the lead and then broke it open in the second.

Doing damage against Jackrabbits starter Ty Madison and Trey Husar, UTSA punched out eight hits to score seven times in the frame.

Arquette, a sophomore transfer from Panola Junior College, hammered a leadoff homer and added another RBI on a sacrifice fly at the end of the inning.

Describing his mindset going into his first at bat in NCAA Division I, Arquette said he was “just feeling good up there, confident with all the work we’ve put in.

“You know, just trying to have fun with the boys and enjoying the first game, the first time out here, couldn’t be any more exciting.”

Other highlights in the inning included Drew Detlefsen’s two-run double, RBI singles by Wichita State transfer Lane Haworth and freshman Nathan Johnson and an RBI bunt single by the coach’s son, Christian Hallmark.

UTSA had three more homers, including a 390-foot, three-run shot by Andrew Stucky, a two-run blast by Diego Diaz and a 404-foot solo shot to center by Broc Parmer.

Diego Diaz (5) hit a home run in the bottom of the sixth inning. UTSA beat South Dakota State 17-4 in the Roadrunners' 2026 baseball season opener on Friday, Feb. 13, at Roadrunner Field. - Photo by Joe Alexander

Diego Diaz (5) jumps into a gathering of teammates who celebrated his two-run homer in the bottom of the sixth. – Photo by Joe Alexander

Parmer’s homer was a thing of beauty, if you were a fan of the Roadrunners. It sailed high and kept going, cutting through wind to the right of the batter’s eye and to the left of a pole adorned with the U.S. flag.

“I think you’re going to see a lot of that (power),” Arquette said. “I think our team has a lot of it. As long as we just stay within ourselves and trust in ourselves and our coaches, we’ll keep hitting it. We’ll keep doing our thing.”

In the UTSA pitching department, all was not gloomy. DeBattista, who had only spot duty last season, pitched three scoreless innings. He yielded three hits, struck out two and made one nice defensive play.

With two out and runners at second and third in the top of the second, South Dakota State slugger Luke Luskey bounced a high-hop single to first base.

Caden Miller fielded it and flipped at the bag to DeBattista, who immediately wheeled and fired home to catcher Andrew Stucky, who put a swipe tag on a head-first sliding Owen Siegert, who was out trying to score from second.

It was the first of two gold-star defensive plays by UTSA pitching. In the eighth inning, reliever Christian Okerholm dove to the third-base side of the mound and snared a hard-hit ground ball, popped up and threw to first for the third out.

Fans rose up from their seats and cheered Okerholm as he walked back to the UTSA dugout.

“A good play,” Pat Hallmark said. “(Hall of Fame pitcher) Greg Maddux used to make a bunch of good plays like that. So, yeah, a good play. We have what we call PFP. You know, pitcher fielding practice.

UTSA coach Pat Hallmark. UTSA beat South Dakota State 17-4 in the Roadrunners' 2026 baseball season opener on Friday, Feb. 13, at Roadrunner Field. - Photo by Joe Alexander

UTSA coach Pat Hallmark’s offense erupted for four home runs among 19 hits in a 17-4 victory over South Dakota State. .- Photo by Joe Alexander

“We do it all the time, and those guys give each other a hard time on who the best athlete is. So, Okerholm probably has bragging rights now.”

Hallmark also said DeBattista was great in shutting down the Jackrabbits back in the first inning.

“I was a little worried right when he came in,” the coach said. “We needed the breaking ball, and he missed with a couple of them. But then he settled in and found everything. Threw some good changeups to left-handed hitters. Found his breaking ball.

“Once he got his feet on the ground a little bit, he was fine. Happy for him. Last year, Mike wanted to pitch, and there just wasn’t a spot for him. Again, it’s early. Not ready to say anyone’s got anything locked up. But, Mike is hungry, and we like hungry people.”

Records

South Dakota State 0-1
UTSA 1-0

Coming up

South Dakota State at UTSA, Saturday, at 6 p.m.
South Dakota State at UTSA, Sunday, at 1 p.m.

Notable

One of the questions looming ahead of the season opener revolved around who would step into the center field spot played so adroitly over the last two years by Mason Lytle.

Robert Orloski. UTSA beat South Dakota State 17-4 in the Roadrunners' 2026 baseball season opener on Friday, Feb. 13, at Roadrunner Field. - Photo by Joe Alexander

UTSA starter Robert Orloski suffered an unspecified injury to his throwing arm and failed to make it out of the first inning. – Photo by Joe Alexander

As it turned out, the name was familiar. It was a kid named Hallmark. It was junior college transfer Christian Hallmark, the son of the head coach.

The coach’s son produced two hits and three RBIs in his first game with the Roadrunners, which was also his first in Division I.

One of the hits was an RBI bunt single that kept alive the Roadrunners’ big rally in the second inning.

“He had a good game,” Pat Hallmark said. “The bunt was big. Little stuff like that goes a long way.”

Against a left-handed pitcher, Christian Hallmark, who bats lefty, put his bat on the ball and nudged it right where it needed to go.

“I was happy to see him do that,” the coach said.

The 953 attendance count was a UTSA record for a home opener.

Rob Orloski, an Idaho native who was drafted out of high school by the Boston Red Sox, recorded an 8-0 record last year with nine saves and posted a 3.36 earned run average.

As a freshman in 2024, he struggled at times as a starter but did have his moments, beating East Carolina’s Trey Yesavage in one memorable performance at Roadrunner Field.

Yesavage reached the major leagues last year with the Toronto Blue Jays and pitched in the World Series.

Broc Parmer hit a home run in the bottom of the seven inning. UTSA beat South Dakota State 17-4 in the Roadrunners' 2026 baseball season opener on Friday, Feb. 13, at Roadrunner Field. - Photo by Joe Alexander

Broc Parmer’s solo homer in the seventh inning traveled 404 feet and landed beyond the wall in center field. – Photo by Joe Alexander

Opening-day scoreboard

Texas 12, UC Davis 2, 7 innings, at Austin
Texas A&M 15, Tennessee Tech 6, at College Station
TCU 5, Vanderbilt 4, at Arlington
Dallas Baptist 13, Binghamton 2, at Dallas
Dallas Baptist 14, Binghamton 1, at Dallas
Baylor 15, New Mexico State 2, 7 innings, at Waco
(Baylor’s Tyce Armstrong hits three grand slams)
Xavier 4, East Carolina 3, at Greenville, N.C.

Opening day: UTSA baseball hopes to maintain an underdog mentality

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By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

After an almost surrealistic year of unprecedented success, including a program-record 47 victories and an NCAA regional championship, the UTSA baseball team opens the new season on Friday when it takes on the South Dakota State Jackrabbits at Roadrunner Field.

Andrew Stucky. Game 1 of UTSA baseball's fall series on Friday, Oct. 24, 2025, at Roadrunner Field. - photo by Joe Alexander

Catcher Andrew Stucky says the Roadrunners plan to play this season as if they ‘still have something to prove.’ . – Photo by Joe Alexander

In the opener of a three-game series, the program’s modest grandstand is expected to be jammed with fans anxious to see a team stacked with some veteran players and promising newcomers, hopeful that they can create some of the same magic that filled the community with pride a year ago.

UTSA players know what is expected, but if they feel any pressure, it’s hard to tell.

“Last year was awesome, kind of fun,” UTSA senior catcher Andrew Stucky said. “You know … that was last year. We got a new team this year. But I think even still, for all of us, we still have something to prove, even this year.

“Even though we had so much success, it’s kind of like, we need to come out here and prove that it wasn’t a one-year thing. Like, we can do it again. We can beat big schools, and everything like that.”

In other words, the Roadrunners feel like they are still the underdogs. Or, in another sense, they’re still the hunters and not the hunted.

“Absolutely, yeah,” Stucky said.

Even though last season created a stir of excitement around the campus and in the city, the team has been on a solid foundation for the past six years under Coach Pat Hallmark.

In his last four seasons, Hallmark’s teams rank fourth among 22 NCAA Division I programs in the state in victories, according to an analysis of team records by The JB Replay.

Since 2022, the Texas Longhorns lead the state with 169 wins, followed by Dallas Baptist (167), Texas A&M (165), UTSA (155) and TCU (154).

In that same time frame, Dallas Baptist leads in winning percentage with .693, followed by Texas (.673), Lamar (.668), UTSA (.665) and Texas A&M (.652).

Last season, UTSA finished 47-15 and reached the NCAA Super Regional round of the playoffs for the first time.

In the Austin Regional, they knocked off Kansas State once and No. 2 overall seed Texas twice to advance. The Roadrunners were eliminated the following weekend by No. 15 UCLA at the Los Angeles Super Regional.

South Dakota State is coming off a 16-36 season. The Rob Bishop-coached Jackrabbits play in the Summit League.

Coming up

South Dakota State at UTSA
Friday – 4 p.m.
Saturday – noon
Sunday – 1 p.m.

Notable

Pitchers Zach Royse and Braylon Owens emerged as two UTSA players from last year drafted by Major League Baseball clubs. The Atlanta Braves selected Royse in the seventh round. The Milwaukee Brewers took Owens in the 10th round.

At least three others signed undrafted free agent contracts, including James Taussig (with the Chicago White Sox), Mason Lytle (Houston Astros) and Ty Hodge (Boston Red Sox).

Norris McClure has signed to play in an independent league in New York.

The Roadrunners will field a strong contingent of returning players, including opening weekend starting pitchers Robert Orloski, Connor Kelley and Kendall Dove.

Orloski, a junior, finished last season 8-0 with nine saves and a 3.36 earned run average. He struck out 77 in 72 innings.

Other veteran pitchers from last year include Conor Myles, Sam Simmons, Christian Okerholm and Gunnar Brown.

A concern leading into the new year is the health of returning infield standout Nathan Hodge, who will be out for an extended period and possibly the season with an injury to his throwing arm.

Leading the returning position players are three catchers in Stucky, Broc Parmer and Whitt Joyce; plus, infielders Jordan Ballin and Diego Diaz, first basemen Caden Miller and Cade Sadler and outfielders Drew Detlefsen and Garrett Gruell.

Last year, Detlefsen led the Roadrunners in home runs (13) and RBI (70).

Ballin is expected to be ready to play despite some misfortune with injuries over the past year. He fractured a hand at the end of last season and suffered a leg fracture last fall. The leg was injured during a scrimmage against Navarro College when he was hit by a 94 mph fastball.

Newcomers who could see action on the opening weekend include two freshmen, slugging outfielder Nathan Johnson from Katy Seven Lakes and infielder Aidan Eshelman from Houston Episcopal.

Other newcomers to watch include outfielders Lane Haworth (from Wichita State) and Brandon Bishop (from the University of Houston) and also catcher Jacob Silva (TCU) and infielder Josh Arquette (Panola JC).

East Carolina men win, 88-72, as UTSA’s losing streak hits 17

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By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

The lowly East Carolina Pirates entered Wednesday night’s game in Greenville, N.C., with 16 losses on the season and without a win at home against an American Conference opponent.

The Pirates rectified the situation by cruising to an 88-72 victory, delivering a program-record 17th straight loss to the beleaguered UTSA Roadrunners.

UTSA point guard Austin Nunez sat out after taking a hard fall in a game played at home Saturday night.

For the Roadrunners’ men’s basketball program, it was another dubious moment as it clinched a 20-loss season for the fourth time in the last five years. Last season, in Austin Claunch’s first as head coach, they finished 12-19.

This year, the hard-luck Roadrunners sit at 4-20 and 0-12 in the American. To make matters worse, there’s probably no chance for redemption in March, either. In a new twist, the conference has whittled the tournament down to 10 teams.

Going into Wednesday night’s late games, North Texas, Rice and East Carolina were locked in a battle for the 10th spot.

North Texas and Rice have seven losses East Carolina eight, meaning that UTSA, barring a miraculous turnaround in the last few weeks, likely is on the verge of elimination with six games to play.

The Pirates, who improved to 8-14 on the season and 3-8 in the American, looked like a team that could have been beaten. They entered Wednesday night with an 0-5 record at home in the American and with a track record for losing in a variety of ways.

But with the Pirates racing to a 46-31 halftime lead, and with star guard Jordan Riley finishing with 19 points to lead six players in double figures, the Roadrunners were left again wondering when, or if, it will ever end.

“These guys battled,” Claunch said on his postgame radio interview with Andy Everett. “Just didn’t get it done.”

For Nunez, indications are that he could be ready on Sunday at Charlotte, but it’s uncertain how that will play out considering that he crash-landed so hard on a drive to the hoop last Saturday night at home against North Texas.

Against East Carolina, with seven players inactive, UTSA started Jamir Simpson and Brent Moss in the backcourt, with Baboucarr Njie on the wing and Daniel Akitoby and Kaidon Rayfield on the front line.

Simpson played 38 minutes, with Rayfield and Moss getting 36 and Daniel Akitoby 31. Akitoby, a spot player in the first few months of the season, produced 16 points and 11 rebounds. Moss had 15, with Rayfield scoring 12 and Simpson 11.

But, as so often happens with the Roadrunners, they shot the ball poorly. They hit 37 percent from the field and 33 percent from beyond the 3-point arc. At the free throw line, their inconsistency was maddening as they made only eight of 16.

In contrast, the Pirates attacked the rim and got fouled enough to make 18 of 20 free throws. From the field, they hit 46 percent, including 53 percent in the first half when they broke the game open.

Records

UTSA 4-20, 0-12
East Carolina 8-16, 3-8

Coming up

UTSA at Charlotte, Sunday, 11 a.m.
FAU at UTSA, Wednesday, Feb. 18, 6 p.m.

Notable

UTSA men’s basketball remains tied for second for the longest active losing streak in NCAA Division I. The Mississippi Valley State Delta Devils have dropped 22 in a row, while the Roadrunners and the Air Force Falcons have lost 17 straight.

East Carolina’s Jordan Riley, with three straight 30-points plus games coming in, was limited to 19. But Isaiah Mbeng and Co. more than made up the difference. He scored 15 of his 18 in the first half.

Demitri Gardner had 15, with Eli DeLaurier going for 13 and Giovanni Emejuru 12. Emejuru, a 6-foot-10 senior, protected the paint with three blocked shots while also pulling down 12 boards.

The Pirates entered the game with five players inactive, second in the conference in numbers only to the Roadrunners.

First half

Mbeng hit three 3-point buckets and scored 15 points, lifting the Pirates into a 46-31 lead.

In the game played at the Williams Arena at Menges Coliseum, in Greenville, N.C., Mbeng tied his career high in scoring by connecting on four for five from the field and three for four from beyond the 3-point arc.

Averaging 23.3 points for the season, Riley played secondary role in the opening half, scoring six points with three assists and three rebounds in 19 minutes.

UTSA entered the American Conference contest without the services of seven players, including Nunez, who has played 22 games as the team’s No. 1 point guard this season, and also without center Mo Njie.

Leading 9-6 in the first five minutes, UTSA started to falter as East Carolina started a 26-7 surge.

When Mbeng nailed a three with 6:02 left in the half, the Pirates had opened a 32-16 lead. Three minutes later, a Gardner triple gave East Carolina its largest lead of the half at 39-21.

UTSA assist leader Nunez ruled out against East Carolina

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By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

UTSA guard and assist leader Austin Nunez, shaken up in a hard fall to the floor last weekend, won’t play Wednesday night in an American Conference men’s’ basketball road game at East Carolina.

The injury occurred late in the second half in San Antonio on Saturday, when the North Texas Mean Green beat the Roadrunners, 81-58.

The decision to hold Nunez out for East Carolina was reported Wednesday afternoon on the conference’s website under player availability reports.

The Roadrunners will tip off against the Pirates Wednesday at 6 p.m.

Center Mo Njie is also listed as out for the game between teams battling to stay alive in the chase for the last spot in the conference tournament.

UTSA has six players listed as either out for the season or out for the game. A seventh, Dorian Hayes, is questionable with a shoulder issue.

Both Nunez and Hayes have been starters for most of the season. Nunez is the team’s second leading scorer (9.8) and leader in assists (61 total) in 22 games.

If both are out, it’s possible that sophomore walk on LJ Brown from San Antonio’s Johnson High School will start in the backcourt.

By dropping the home game against North Texas, UTSA extended its program-record losing streak to 16 games.

Records

UTSA 0-11, 4-19
East Carolina 2-8, 7-16

Coming up

UTSA at Charlotte, Sunday, 11 a.m.
FAU at UTSA, Wednesday, Feb. 18, 6 p.m.

Notable

East Carolina features guard Jordan Riley, the leading scorer in the American. Riley has scored more than 30 points in each of his last three games.

The 6-5 guard is averaging 23.3 points. He scored 37 against Rice, 35 in a road victory at FAU and in his last game, he scored 32 at home Saturday against Temple.

Riley is from Brentwood, N.Y. He has also played at Georgetown and Temple. Riley is in his second year with the Pirates under coach Michael Schwartz.

Rowe scores 26 as the UTSA women down Temple, 52-43

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Cheyenne Rowe. UTSA beat Temple 52-43 in American Conference women's basketball on Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2026, at the Convocation Center. - Photo by Joe Alexander

Forward Cheyenne Rowe produced 26 points and 11 rebounds in a victory that keeps UTSA within striking distance of a top-four finish in the conference race. – Photo by Joe Alexander

By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

The UTSA Roadrunners played gritty defense, they rebounded and then they passed the ball to Cheyenne Rowe.

Rowe, a 6-2 senior forward, did the rest.

She hit 11 of 19 shots from the field for 26 points as the Roadrunners downed the Temple Owls 52-43 for their second straight win in the American Conference.

Both Rowe and forward Idara Udo pulled down 11 rebounds as UTSA out-boarded Temple, 43-29. Mia Hammonds scored 10 points, including eight in the third quarter.

Rowe clinched a 2-0 season sweep of the Owls by scoring 10 points in the fourth period on five of nine shooting.

Idara Udo. UTSA beat Temple 52-43 in American Conference women's basketball on Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2026, at the Convocation Center. - Photo by Joe Alexander

UTSA forward Idara Udo had five points and a team-high tying 11 rebounds against Temple in a performance that followed an 18-point showing at Tulsa last Saturday. – Photo by Joe Alexander

“Just super proud of our team today,” UTSA coach Karen Aston said. “I didn’t think it was the easiest win. Both teams, you could really tell they knew each other. You could tell (we were) in the grind of conference play, and both teams knew exactly what the other was going to run.

“They were prepared, and it just got down to who could really buckle down in the second half and get the consecutive stops and maybe execute a little better offensively. I thought the difference in the game was we had 11 turnovers at the half and finished with 14.

“Taking care of the basketball and giving ourselves a chance to get a shot off was really the difference.”

For the Owls, forward Saniyah Craig produced a double double with 13 points and 12 rebounds.

As for Temple’s explosive backcourt, UTSA effectively shut down guards Kaylah Turner and Tristen Taylor.

Turner entered the game averaging 17 points and leading the conference in scoring, while Taylor had been an 11-point, four-assist wizard with the ball.

UTSA held Turner to 12 points on five of 14 shooting. She scored only two in the second half when the Roadrunners secured the game.

Taylor, from Duncanville High School in the Dallas area, went scoreless in the game on zero for two field-goal shooting. Moreover, she had three assists and three turnovers.

In the first meeting between the teams, on Jan. 3 in Philadelphia, UTSA won 50-47. And even though Taylor scored 18 points, Turner was held to seven on three of 18 shooting.

Adriana Robles. UTSA beat Temple 52-43 in American Conference women's basketball on Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2026, at the Convocation Center. - Photo by Joe Alexander

Freshman Adriana Robles scored four points and had three assists and two rebounds in 25 minutes. – Photo by Joe Alexander

Rowe, for her part, enjoyed two big games this year against the Owls. In Philadelphia, she produced 14 points and 18 rebounds. In San Antonio, it was more of an offensive tour de force.

She said patience was the key.

“Tried to see where I could get an open shot, where my teammates were going to open up the shot for me,” Rowe said. “I got to hand it to them for cutting. Cut assists are amazing in basketball.”

Udo said it’s “awesome” to be back with the team. For more than six weeks, she sat out with an injury. Now, after playing five games, the 6-1 power forward is starting to assert herself.

“I love getting out here and playing with my team and helping us stack wins together,” she said. “My time off was great, too. I got to be a good teammate and tried to be a leader and take on a different role.”

Records

Temple 10-13, 4-7
UTSA 12-11, 7-5

Coming up

South Florida at UTSA, Saturday, 6:30 p.m.

Notable

From Jan. 13 to Feb. 3, the Roadrunners hit a slump, losing five of seven games. Now, after winning last Saturday at Tulsa and again Tuesday night against Temple, they’ve seemingly turned the corner.

Karen Aston. UTSA beat Temple 52-43 in American Conference women's basketball on Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2026, at the Convocation Center. - Photo by Joe Alexander

Karen Aston’s UTSA Roadrunners beat Temple and improved its record to 12-11 overall and 7-5 in the American. – Photo by Joe Alexander

It’s a push that has allowed them to stay within striking distance of a fourth-place finish in the conference, which is rewarded with a double-bye into the 10-team postseason tournament.

Teams with the double bye gain the advantage of a shorter route to the American postseason title and the automatic NCAA tournament berth.

Teams finishing from seventh through 10th must win five games in five days to claim the title.

Teams finishing fifth and sixth will need to win four games in four days, while teams in third and fourth start in the quarterfinals, needing three wins in three days.

The top two seeds start in the semifinals, two wins on back-to-back days away from the automatic NCAA berth.

Right now, the Rice Owls (11-0), East Carolina Pirates (10-2) and Tulsa Golden Hurricane (8-3) are first through third, respectively.

The South Florida Bulls (7-4) are fourth, only a half game ahead of the Roadrunners and the North Texas Mean (both at 7-5).

South Florida hosts third-place Tulsa on Wednesday night and then travels into San Antonio to play UTSA on Saturday.

With the 18-game schedule winding down, the Bulls-Roadrunners rematch should be interesting.

Incidentally, the Bulls started the Roadrunners’ five-losses in seven-games skid by winning 70-53 on Jan. 13 in Tampa.

In that game, South Florida knocked down 10 three-point baskets to hand UTSA its most lopsided loss in conference this season.

First half

Locked in a defensive struggle, the Roadrunners and the Owls battled to a 21-21 tie at intermission. Rowe hit five of six shots from the field and scored 12 points to lead the Roadrunners.

Temple coach Diane Richardson. UTSA beat Temple 52-43 in American Conference women's basketball on Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2026, at the Convocation Center. - Photo by Joe Alexander

Diane Richardson’s Temple Owls led the Roadrunners 17-13 after the first quarter but couldn’t hold on. – Photo by Joe Alexander

Unfortunately for UTSA, the rest of the team made only three of 14. Also, the Roadrunners’ offense stagnated against the Owls in other ways, often passing up open shots while turning the ball over 11 times.

The Roadrunners stayed in the game with an aggressive defense that limited the Owls to nine of 27 shooting for 33 percent. Temple guard Kaylah Turner supplied most of the firepower for the visitors, scoring 10 points on four of eight from the field.

UTSA women prepare for rematch against Temple’s dynamic duo

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By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

The UTSA Roadrunners women survived one meeting against Kaylah Turner and Tristen Taylor this season. They’ll need to buckle up for another challenge tonight.

The Roadrunners will host two of the most dynamic guards in the American Conference when they play the Temple Owls at 6:30 p.m. at the Convocation Center.

Temple women's basketball coach Diane Richardson. Temple defeated UTSA 56-48 in American Athletic Conference women's basketball on Thursday, Feb. 22, 2024, at the Convocation Center. - Photo by Joe Alexander

Coach Diane Richardson has led the Temple women to back-to-back, 20-win seasons. The Owls (10-12, 4-6) are in town for a Tuesday night matchup against the UTSA Roadrunners (11-11, 6-5). – Photo by Joe Alexander

Turner is the leading scorer in the conference. The 5-6 junior from Jacksonville, Fla., averages 17.4 points.

Twice, she has scored in the 30s this season and six more times in the 20s for the Owls (10-12, 4-6), who are one of the most respected ball clubs in the bottom tier of the American’s standings.

In a Jan. 3 meeting against UTSA at Philadelphia, the Roadrunners did a good job defensively, holding Turner to one of her worst showings this season, three of 18 shooting from the field and seven points.

As a result, the Owls let a home game get away, losing 50-47 to the Roadrunners. It was a different narrative altogether in regard to Taylor, a 5-5 junior from Duncanville High School in the Dallas area.

She produced 18 points, three assists and a pair of steals. At the end, she just missed on a three-point shot that would have sent the game into overtime.

Given the background on the first meeting of the season with the Owls, and considering that Taylor has gone on to average 11.2 points and 4.3 assists, the Roadrunners (11-11, 6-5) are approaching Tuesday night’s rematch with eyes wide open.

UTSA coach Karen Aston knows from experience that even if a team holds one of those two down, the other is capable of willing Temple to victory.

“With Tristen, it was her first game back after an injury when we played up there,” Aston said Monday. “I’m not sure we had a handle on her game. I would expect that we’d be a little more prepared for her (Tuesday).

“Everyone in the league is prepared for Turner, and she’s still the leading scorer in the conference. So that tells you of her talent right there. She can be on everybody’s top of the scout, and she still gets the job done. Just two dynamic guards.”

The Owls could use the same adjective about UTSA forward Cheyenne Rowe. In the teams’ first meeting, Rowe exploded for 14 points and 18 rebounds. The 6-2 senior from Canada has been UTSA’s best player this season, averaging 13.5 and 8.8.

In the rematch, Temple will be tasked with another frontcourt challenge in dealing with forward Idara Udo.

Udo sat out the game in Philadelphia with a lower leg injury. But after missing six weeks of action, she has returned, playing the last four games for the Roadrunners.

Udo, a preseason second team, all-conference selection, scored a season-high 18 points Saturday in a 66-47 road victory at Tulsa. Aston is happy to have the 6-1 junior from Plano back on the floor and gaining confidence.

“Obviously it was a long time off for her,” the coach said. “You don’t expect someone to roll in after time off and be sharp (immediately) and be in game shape and all of that. So I think it’s a process for her. I’m proud of her patience with this. It kind of forced her to step back and mature a little bit.

“She had a lot of her own personal expectations, and it’s actually given her time to give herself some grace. She looked a little sharper on Saturday, and I think every game we play, she’ll get a little sharper and a little bit better game shape. Get her timing back.

“Again, it just takes time when someone’s missed as many games as she has.”

Records

Temple 10-12, 4-5
UTSA 11-11, 6-5

Coming up

Temple at UTSA, Tuesday, 6:30 p.m.
South Florida at UTSA, Saturday, 6:30 p.m.

A new baseball season dawns for the ascendant UTSA Roadrunners

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By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

Coming off a school-record 47 wins and a magical run to the NCAA Super Regional round of the playoffs, UTSA baseball is scheduled to open the new season with three home games from Friday through Sunday against the South Dakota State Jackrabbits.

UTSA coach Pat Hallmark. UTSA beat Texas 7-4 on Sunday, June 1, 2025, to win the NCAA baseball tournament Austin Regional. - Photo by Joe Alexander

Coach Pat Hallmark is 187-111 in six years at UTSA. Last summer, he signed a contract extension that carries through the 2029 season. – File photo by Joe Alexander

Asked how this year’s team could be different from last year, Coach Pat Hallmark said Monday that he hopes that the Roadrunners are better, but he acknowledged he doesn’t know if that is the case.

Not just yet.

Last year’s team soared to the American Conference regular-season title and to an epic NCAA Austin Regional playoff victory, which included two wins in two days over the second-ranked Texas Longhorns.

Players such as outfielders Mason Lytle and James Taussig and pitchers Zach Royse and Braylon Owens led that charge. This season, those players have moved on, chasing baseball dreams in the professional ranks.

At the same time, others are stepping into their shoes at UTSA, hoping to make names for themselves and create their own legacy.

“We’re not quite as athletic (as last year),” Hallmark said. “That’s the only … difference I can tell at this point.”

Hallmark offered a caveat, noting that some of the best baseball players aren’t always the best athletes.

“I do think we’re a good baseball team,” he said. “We got to grow, though. The most important thing right now is just that we continue to improve. That’s what I mean by grow.

“We got to have growth in lots of areas. So, we got some questions. Some of the pitching you’ll see early on will be some familiar faces. But they’re going to be in bigger roles … We’ll see how they do.”

Junior righthander Rob Orloski will start on the mound Friday afternoon, Hallmark said. Connor Kelley will start on Saturday and Kendall Dove will get the ball on Sunday.

Orloski emerged as a program mainstay and a first-team, all conference pitcher last season in the team’s “stopper” role. Coming out of the bullpen, he finished with an 8-0 record, a team-leading nine saves and a 3.36 earned run average.

The coach said his starting pitchers this weekend would be on a pitch count that he characterized as “more high than low, because they are ready for that.”

He said the team’s “stopper” role, which has been filled in the past with former standouts Simon Miller and Ruger Riojas and, last season, with Orloski, hasn’t been determined yet.

At least, not on a long-term basis. Hallmark said the role is “a little bit up in the air,” with coaches set to evaluate over several games who it might be.

“We really only have four set roles,” the coach said, “which would be three starters and this ‘stopper’ role, and everyone else pretty flexible. So, yeah, it could change on weekend (No.) 2, but that’s where we are right now.”

Coming up

South Dakota State at UTSA
Friday – 4 p.m.
Saturday – noon
Sunday – 1 p.m.

Notable

The coach said veteran standout catcher Andrew Stucky “looks great,” with Broc Parmer, Whitt Joyce and Jacob Silva backing up.

With a solid freshman season under his belt, sophomore Caden Miller is playing first base. Another sophomore standout, Nathan Hodge is injured, and that has opened up playing time for others in the infield.

At second base, shortstop and third base, Hallmark mentioned veterans Jordan Ballin and Diego Diaz, plus freshman Aidan Eshelman and sophomore transfer Josh Arquette, as players who could play at any of those three spots.

Also, Josh Vaughn and Mason Jacob, the coach said.

“Second base, third base, shortstop, early in the year, you’ll see guys switching in and out of there,” Hallmark said. “Very versatile group, and we train ’em that way. All those guys I mentioned can play all three.”

In the outfield, Drew Detlefsen, who led the team in home runs last year, supplies the veteran leadership. He played mostly in left field last season but might play some in center this year, as well.

Others to watch in the outfield include freshman power hitter Nathan Johnson from Katy Seven Lakes, junior Lane Haworth, a transfer from Wichita State and University of Houston transfer Brandon Bishop.

Echoes from 2025

Hallmark said the energy around the program “has been great” and that “there’s been a lot of buzz. I think they sold out the chair-back seats (at Roadrunner Field), or real, real close.” The team’s annual golf tournament also did well.

Quotable

“People definitely took notice of what we did last year,” the coach said. “We need to really put that stuff to the side, for players and coaches, and really focus on what we can control.

“And that’s not as easily done as it is said, focusing on what you can control, like throwing strikes and hitting the ball and making the plays. At the end of the day, that’s what it’s all about. It still gets down to what you do on the field.

“We’re trying to keep our minds on that and become better baseball players through some of the hoopla from last year.”